Italian boatbuilders report 2014 growth

The Italian recreational boatbuilding business is showing signs of growth with a 2.1 increase in sales in 2014 from the previous year.

The accessories sector also showed signs of improvement, with a 3.1 percent gain in sales, according to a report by UCINA, the Italian marine industry association that tracks the recreational boating industry.

"There are encouraging data that arrive after very difficult years, and during the first quarter of 2015 are further improved,” UCINA president Carla Demaria said in a statement. “We take confidence in the future and the association wants to renew itself to better respond to new market demands and its associates.”

The shipbuilding industry, the leading sector of the production, in 2014 registered a sales increase of 1.9 percent, compared to 2013, according to UCINA research director Stefano Pagani Isnardi.

The growth of the sector stems from a 2.7 percent increase in exports; the domestic market fell by 6.2 percent. The share of production of pleasure boats destined to foreign markets remains stable on the previous year's record, 93 percent.